


Crown

by teal_shadow



Category: Winner (Band)
Genre: #CampusAU, #TheHeirsAU, F/M, Gen, M/M, most characters are from YG Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-25 09:35:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22153897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teal_shadow/pseuds/teal_shadow
Summary: Kim Jinwoo was resigned to the life he had. His parents had money. The family business will be handed to him once he finishes college. His path was set in stone long before his parents found out they were going to have a son.One of the few good things he cherishes in life were his family and Jieun. She's the light in the darkness that deems to consume him. She's his happiness incarnate in this world he often graces with a practiced smile. He doesn't have to put on an act of being perfect when she's with him.But what if someone comes along and disturbs this peaceful bubble Jinwoo has made for himself? Certainty had been a strength he prided himself in all these years. Is he willing to pay the price for a taste of true bliss?
Relationships: Kim Jinwoo/Lee Jieun | IU, Kim Jinwoo/Song Minho | Mino
Kudos: 7





	Crown

Kim Jinwoo knew since he was born that despite people going on about your life is what choices you’ve made, his will always have the outcome his mother has set for him. Being the only son of three, the crown put on him before he can utter his first word was enormous. Childhood? His childhood was composed of academics, fine etiquette, ample knowledge of piano and string instruments, and sports. Of those, he only ever felt joy in one and that was sports. That is until his mother introduced him to Jieun.

Lee Jieun was peculiar at first. She wore pants and Jinwoo hardly ever saw girls his age wear anything but skirts and dresses especially when his mother hosted a party for her friends at their house. This piqued his curiosity. Girls were never interesting to him until Jieun came. She came and Jinwoo finally found a friend after thirteen years of living in this posh society riddled with appearances and facades of perfection.

Jieun has the most beautiful voice Jinwoo had ever heard. He didn’t even know she sang until Jieun forced him to play a piece for her on the piano since she was bored. Surprisingly enough, both of their parents didn’t mind that they liked to hangout. It thrilled them even that the two were comfortable with each other. 

At Jinwoo's 16th birthday, Jieun sang him a song she composed herself. His best friend had grown to embrace her feminine side as they grew up and she wore a red dress with matching strap on heels. It was an upbeat song, and out of all the extravagant gifts the Kim heir had received, Jieun's Good Day was the best. After the event, he teased her relentlessly for a week about how he recorded it on his phone and Jieun came running with his baseball bat demanding he delete it each time.

A lot of people had assumed that the two were dating around the time Jinwoo turned 17 including their parents but they chose to retain their status as just best friends. Complicating their relationship this early was unnecessary for them. They put extreme importance in the fact that they only had each other to turn to whenever one of them was in trouble or wanted to vent. 

By the time Jinwoo got his driver's license, Jieun's parents had fully entrusted their daughter to him. They would go to spontaneous road trips together and sometimes found themselves parked near the airport staring at planes flying by after class.

"Didn't you say your mom was off to Paris this week?" Jinwoo asked Jieun as she sipped her cola from a straw. They were watching planes go by as they sat on the trunk of Jinwoo's Mercedes. The sun that was about to set as well.

"Yeah. I told her I wanted something with powder blue color to it. Why? Did you want something as well? I'm sure mom will accommodate her future son in law." Jieun said giggling. Jinwoo let out a sigh.

"You know grandfather didn't mean for that to slip the other day. He just got excited." Jieun turned to him and smiled.

"I know. But you should also know that I don't mind, right?" Jieun sounded so nonchalant that it took Jinwoo aback. His eyes gave away his shock.

"What are you saying?" he asked. Jieun looked at him with all the confidence he was familiar with.

"It's inevitable, like most things in our life. At least with you, I know I can be happy." Jieun put out her right hand and Jinwoo can't help but smile.

"I guess I can't argue with that." he held her right hand and intertwined their fingers.

"Does that mean you'll put a ring on this?" Jieun said raising their intertwined hands. 

"Ya! My birthday's still a few months away. I don't have my grandmother's ring yet." 

Jieun laughed it out and they stayed that way til sundown. Jinwoo only squeezed her hand. It's a reassurance that no matter what their world threw at them, they have each other.

True to his words, Jinwoo did plan to give Jieun his grandmother's ring. They were at Jinwoo's house. All the lights were turned on in the mansion and chatter can be heard from every corner. His mother always insisted on inviting what seemed like the entire 1% of South Korea to his birthdays even if he refused to mingle. He was wearing a gold tie this year commemorate his 19th birthday. He'd be going into university next spring. 

_"I ought to teach Jieun how to drive soon."_ he thought to himself. As he was mooning over all the things he needed to do, Jieun poked his side. In shock, he almost spilled his wine on his shirt.

"Ya!" he started to berate her but she cut him off before he can do so.

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours? Noona's been calling you for close to ten minutes now." she was pertaining to his phone that he clutched on his other hand that wasn't holding on the wineglass. Heera noona's number kept flashing but no matter how much the phone vibrated Jinwoo wouldn't pick it up.

"What? It's nothing. Here, hold this." Jinwoo gave her his wineglass and checked his phone. His older sister had five missed calls which meant it was urgent. He immediately dialed her up. After two rings, she answered.

"What took you so long to answer?" she immediately scolded him. Jinwoo sighed.

"It's my birthday, noona. You know there's too many people around. I'm sorry. But what's wrong?" 

"My water broke." she said in the most deadpanned way like it was nothing.

"Where's your husband? Why are you telling me this?" he was panicking now and searching his pockets for his car keys. He gestured for Jieun to tell his mom he was leaving when he held up his keys. His sister on the other end was explaining how her husband had an urgent business meeting in Jeju and was rushing to get to the first flight out of there to Seoul as they were speaking.

It's been a rollercoaster of an evening. It took 8 hours for his sister to safely deliver her twins. He kept thanking whichever god was listening when his brother in law arrived just in time for the delivery. Despite promises of making him the godfather of her kids, Jinwoo refused to get into the delivery room. He was quietly waiting outside his sister's private room when someone sat beside him. He looked at who it was and was surprised to see Jieun who greeted him with a smile and a cup of coffee.

"Figured you would stay here until morning." she said as he accepted the still steaming cup from her. Instead of her royal blue dress from his party, Jieun was now wearing a white cashmere sweater over blue jeans.

 _"She must've went home before going here."_ he thought to himself as he blew on his coffee. He took a sip before turning to her again.

"You could've just stayed home you know. Everything's fine here. Noona safely delivered her twin boys. I'm just waiting on news on when she can get discharged. I'll go straight home to calm my parents down. They kept insisting the doctor my sister got wasn't the Kims' family one." 

"I know that but I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about how you're still in your stuffy suit. Being in a hospital is uncomfortable already, I thought I could at least bring you a change of clothes and coffee." he didn't notice it but Jieun also had a paper bag with her. She settled it on his lap and as he looked at the content, inside was a grey hoodie and pair of pants. 

"I even had the maid pack your favorite sneakers inside. It must be underneath your clothes." she smiled. Jinwoo looked at her in awe. He knew Jieun cared for him. That was an undisputed fact. But it's times like this that he gets caught off guard. It was three in the morning and she must've been tired from having to attend a big function but still found time to worry about him.

"What's with stare? Do I have something on my face?" she suddenly asked and made him cut his reverie. She was touching her face all over until he held onto both her hands.

"It's nothing. I'm just tired. Thank you, Jieun-ah." the coffee was left on his seat as he stood up to go to the nearest bathroom to change. Once he got into more comfortable clothes, he went back to sit with her. This time around, aside from the paper bag he was also clutching a small velvet box. It'd been boring a hole on his pants' pocket the entire night. Jieun looked at it and couldn't help but ask.

"What's that?" she pointed. Jinwoo smiled and lifted it up to his eye level.

"This? Well, I was putting it off for another day but I guess now is as good as any. I wasn't sure when the appropriate timing was. Thinking back on it, I actually don't care about that. What I know for sure is you and me. We can get through this in the long run." With every sentence Jinwoo uttered, the crease in Jieun's brow deepened.

"Wha--" before Jieun can finish her question, Jinwoo got down on one knee in front of her. 

"Lee Jieun, I know this is sudden. Also, it's too early. But before you turn me down, I want you to understand that for me, there isn't any other person on this Earth that I cherish more than you in my eighteen years living in it. We don't have to get married until we finish college. This is my promise that I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. Will you accept this ring?" Jinwoo held out his grandmother's ring. It was modest enough, a gold band with a sapphire in the middle adorned with diamonds at the side. Jieun's hands were trying and failing to cover her shock. Tears started flowing down as soon as she heard Jinwoo's confession. It wasn't what she always dreamed of. Far from it. But nonetheless, it was the same man and the same ring Jinwoo's grandfather showed her one night as she waited for Jinwoo to comeback from getting takeout for their weekend movie marathons. As it took her a while to answer, Jinwoo looked up at her. He was dreading the silence and expecting Jieun to look annoyed but she was crying. With his free hand, he started to wipe her tears. He smiled.

"Jieun-ah, I didn't mean to make you cry." he attempted to comfort her. He wasn't in a rush to get her answer. He didn't like to see her cry. Jieun rarely cried. She was that stubborn. Over the years, Jinwoo had to decipher how to read her moods. It wasn't easy given the effort he put into what he knew now. And at this crucial moment, it was a mystery to him whether Jieun was crying out of happiness like when her parents finally acknowledged her love for music and allowed her to pursue it in the future instead of the original path allowed for her to delve into the family business or crying out of possible disappointment seeing as if she turned him down the possibility of them rekindling their former relationship will be futile. 

Suddenly, Jieun removed her hands from her face and launched herself to him causing them to both stumble to the floor. She hid her face on his chest while her arms wrapped around his neck. Jinwoo could hear her mumble something but it was lost to his hoodie. 

"What--" he was about to ask what she said when Jieun looked up at him. Their eyes meeting and both still twinkling with unshed tears. 

"I do. I will marry you." 

Jinwoo had imagined their first kiss to be romantic. Not them sitting on a germ-infested hospital floor at 4am, given it was one of the best hospitals in Seoul. But instead of overthinking it, he decided to just focus on this amazing human being on his lap who loves him for who he is even if he was far from perfect. Jieun loves him and that was all that mattered.


End file.
